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THERE are certain times in every life when one wonders if one has been successful.

That time might arrive with a glance at one’s superannuation balance, and the dazzling lack of zeroes at the end of it.

Or it might be a glance at one’s waistline and how it’s impeding one’s view of one’s less-than-dazzling super statement. This might not be a bad thing.

Or it may come with a glance at one’s kids, who may or may not get out of juvie within the month.

We’re all different and it’s natural to look for ways to measure up, preferably with a sense of humour, because you might need it.

Inevitably, if you wonder long and hard enough, you’ll end up on the internet reading “guru lists”.

Those scientifically compiled tables of signs, omens, psychopathies arranged in no particular order by people who may have sold pyramid schemes in a former life.

Designed to inform if you are successful “in the now”, or likely to be in the soon-to-be-arriving now – that’s guru talk for “the future” – prior to death, which is a sure indicator you need a new guru.

You know the lists I’m talking about.

Guides like: “10 things you need to stop doing if you are going to be successful”.

I’m always surprised No1 on this type of list is not: Stop taking the piss out of these lists.

Or: “11 things you need to start doing if you are going to be successful.”

Getting off your arse and doing something rarely seems to get spelt out.

Then of course there’s the “12 signs you are successful and simply unaware of it.”

Often cited in the “13 hard-core pieces of evidence you’re in denial” list.

And rarely referred to in the “14.5 sociopathic tendencies of millionaires”.

That’s because millionaires are focused, they think big, they make mistakes (often with other people’s money) before making truckloads of their own.

Based on that standard they may be totally unaware that they are successful, but you’re not, courtesy of the guru lists you might want to copy in your darker moments.

Like when you contemplate your super balance.

Yes, you can get can transported out of your comfort zone reading these lists.

And usually, moving out of your comfort zone is No9 on such lists.

It’s all about manipulating misgivings. I mean, moulding mindsets.

That’s why I warmed to one I stumbled across the other day on a business-type “yeah baby, go for it” website.

It was called “20 Habits of Eventual Millionaires”.

This was a list I could get my teeth into because it combined the idea of being probably not that successful in the now with the possibility of being hopefully a bit more successful sometime in the soon-to-be-arriving now, prior to death.

I noticed early on that chewing your fingernails did not rate a mention as one of the habits.

But I read on anyhow because the suspense was killing me.

According to this particular guru it’s all about “Taking one ray of light and combining them all to become the sun”.

In fact, one was urged to put that concept to one’s 20-year-old self and ask him or her what constitutes success.

Knowing my 20-year-old self, I believe he may well have asked what I’d been smoking. And if I had any spare. But I got the gist of where this list was coming from.

Reverse engineering. Envisioning the end product, you, and working backwards through the process that led to its arrival.

If this process seems alarming, I suggest you refer back to the “12 signs you’re successful but unaware of it” before proceeding.

I did because I was struggling for claret at that moment. I mean clarity.

One trait top of the “20 habits of eventual millionaires” list I found easy to understand was: “Avoid death.”

String that one out as long as possible I would have thought. A little obvious but a good indication of the level of nitty gritty detail this guru was prepared to go into.

Gurus should never get too specific.

Another habit that didn’t seem so self-evident was: “Every day be around people who are kind to you and love you.”

Ironic in a Catch 22 type of way, depending on where you work and how things are going at home.

Which is OK because the next habit is: “Solve difficult gratitude problems.”

Apparently it helps to be grateful for things that really give you the gee willikers.

As the guru outlines, it’s the difference between being scared in a movie and saying, “wait, it’s just a movie”.

Except it’s not a movie.

Speaking of movies, the next habit is a shining light: “Write down 10 ideas a day.”

A great idea, unless that idea you’re writing repeatedly is, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.”

Planting seeds is recommended because, according to my guru, 50 per cent of flowers come from 1 per cent of seeds.

I get lost when it comes to such garden variety mathematics, but I can’t help suspecting it could help when buying a Lotto ticket, and may also have applications regarding my super statement.

Hopefully that’s something I can measure up in the long term and tick off my guru list when it comes to signs of success.

Refugees in Pekanbaru on the Indonesian island of Sumatra go on a hunger strike to protest against delays to their resettlement in a third country. Photo: Supplied The refugees in Pekanbaru come from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, Sudan and Myanmar. Photo: Supplied

The n government cut its refugee intake from Indonesia last year. Photo: Supplied

Jakarta: A group of 120 refugees stuck in Pekanbaru, on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, have gone on a hunger strike to protest their frustration over delays to their resettlement in a third country.

Ahmad Zaki, a Hazara refugee from Pakistan, said the refugees wanted the UN refugee agency to come to Pekanbaru to discuss their resettlement cases and open an office in the Sumatran city.

“We are waiting for our resettlement process from more than one year,” Mr Zaki said. “I want to go to or any other country.”

The men, who are from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, Sudan and Myanmar, have been found to be genuine refugees by the UNHCR. Their accommodation, medical care and a living stipend is paid for by the International Organisation of Migration.

“We tried to contact UNHCR many times. They make excuses every time. They reached other cities every two to three months regularly,” Mr Zaki said.

About 13,000 asylum seekers and refugees are registered with the UNHCR in Indonesia.

Many found to be genuine refugees remain stranded in the archipelago while the UNHCR tries to find a third country in which to resettle them.

In an interview with Fairfax Media last week, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said Indonesia was not a destination country for refugees.

“So we hope that countries like could take more. But of course I understand the domestic situation,” she said. “Shared responsibility, shared burden is very important. I leave it to the UNCHR to have a discussion with destination countries that belong to the Convention [relating to the Status of Refugees].”

The UNCHR’s Indonesia representative, Thomas Vargas, strongly advised the men against the hunger strike. “It’s not going to solve their problem or have their resettlement cases expedited,” Mr Vargas said.

“It just causes a lot of problems and the possibility of harm to themselves, which we would consider to be terrible.”

Mr Vargas said resettlement was a long process, which could take up to two years in Indonesia due to the limited resettlement places available globally and the various procedures that needed to be completed to comply with requirements made by resettlement countries.

He said the UNHCR regularly visited all locations where refugees were in lndonesia and was about to post a few staff members permanently in Pekanbaru given the high volume.

However he warned this did not mean the resettlement process would move any quicker.

“The UNHCR can’t force countries to take refugees,” Mr Vargas said. He said the Syrian crisis made it even harder to find resettlement options for refugees coming out of Indonesia.

Former immigration minister Scott Morrison announced on November 18 last year that would cut its annual intake from Indonesia from 600 people to 450. He said anyone who registered with the UNHCR in Indonesia after July 1, 2014, would not be eligible to come to . The intention, he said at the time, was to “drain the pool” of asylum seekers and refugees in Indonesia.

Mr Vargas said while this had had an impact, he was appreciative that continued to accept refugees who had registered with the UNHCR before July 1 last year.

He said resettlement was only one of a range of protection options.

“We recognise that a very small fraction of the refugee population globally will ever be resettled, which is why we also look at other options and appeal to governments for family reunification, temporary protection and providing labour [programs] for refugees to be able to take care of themselves.”

THE true story of Philippe Petit – the Frenchman who kept onlookers enthralled for 45 minutes while he walked, sat and lay on a cable strung between the tops of Manhattan’s Twin Towers in 1974 – was told in James Marsh’s documentary Man on Wire (2008). It was a tale of a phenomenally brave and gifted obsessive, charismatic enough to draw others into helping him fulfil his lofty ambition.

But, like all obsessives, Petit found it hard to be grateful. And when it was all over, these loyal disciples fell to earth with a bump while he gave himself over to being adored by a much larger and louder audience.

Robert Zemeckis’ take on the Frenchman’s great adventure gets some of this right. Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s Petit is an impish charmer deaf and blind to anybody’s state of mind but his own. He crackles with nervous energy tempered, when necessary, by his mighty powers of concentration. But you get little sense of the hard-headedness that took him through six years of preparation.

Full of Gallic shrugs and merry montages, the early scenes have him as a whimsical clown working the streets of a Paris that looks as if it’s been plucked straight out of Amelie. Here, he meets Ben Kingsley as a circus aerialist extraordinaire and begins to learn from him.

Pretty soon he’s rehearsing for the big event with a wire walk between the spires of Notre Dame, and it’s not long before he’s off to New York with his devoted girlfriend, Annie Allix (Charlotte Le Bon), and a small team of pals willing to risk jail to help him get to the top of the towers.

I was so pleased to leave behind Zemeckis’ cloying vision of Paris that I didn’t mind the speed of all this. But once we’re in New York, we switch genres with a suddenness that’s a little disorienting.

We’re now in a caper movie, with the shift in worlds signalled by a score reminiscent of The Pink Panther. The group of conspirators take on more recruits, including a couple of stoners who look as if they’d be felled by vertigo if they attempted to stand upright, and a hardware-store salesman whose talents as a fast-talker are to prove indispensable when the time comes for the group to bluff their way into the tower building, disguised as workmen.

Such an enthusiastic embrace of the story’s more farcical elements does toss up some easy laughs but putting the group on a par with the Keystone Cops also limits the degree of sophistication that the script is able to bring to the interplay between their personalities.

And there was plenty to talk about. As Marsh’s documentary revealed, the strains, fears and disagreements within the group constituted a drama within the drama. But Zemeckis glosses them over with caricature. He’s making a fable here and the only person he’s really interested in is its hero.

So it’s basically a one-man show, with Levitt keeping the others entranced with his demands, explosions and propensity for taking extraordinary chances. His practical, methodical side is there, too, but more often than not, it’s upstaged by his theatricality. And, like any case of extreme self-absorption, his soon begins to bore.

But all these irritations fall away once the group get inside the Twin Towers and we’re confronted by the enormity of the task they’ve set themselves. As the buildings are closing for the night, they have to smuggle in their equipment, which includes a 200-kilogram cable, and get it on to the roof. And having done that, they have to evade the security guard while they work with their teammates on the roof of the other building to rig the cable.

This is what Zemeckis has been waiting for. His hallmark as a director is his passion for visual effects and his use of CGI and 3D is dazzling. I’m pleased to report there’s no hint of the religious in the sense of sublime you feel in Petit’s kinship with space, air and the slender cable beneath his feet. Even so, it is as if he’s consorting with angels.

The last shot is a homage to the lost towers, standing burnished by sunlight, and there’s a certain poignancy in it. But it’s Petit you’re thinking about.

Farhad Jabar in a shootout with police in front of NSW Police headquarters at Parramatta. Photo: Channel Seven

Terrorism suspect: ‘I got a lot of anger’

A teenager facing serious terrorism charges allegedly met a well-known Middle Eastern crime figure twice in one day to source the firearm he allegedly gave schoolboy killer Farhad Jabar that afternoon.

Raban Alou, 18, was charged on Thursday night with aiding, abetting, counselling and procuring the commission of a terrorist act, a Commonwealth offence that carries a maximum life sentence.

Talal Alameddine, 22, was arrested in Merrylands on Thursday by the Middle Eastern organised crime squad and joint counter-terrorism team. He was charged with supplying a firearm, breaching a firearms prohibition order and hindering police.

Fairfax Media can reveal that police will allege Mr Alou met with family friend Mr Alameddine twice on Friday, October 2, to source an older-style handgun.

He was seen on CCTV at Parramatta Mosque that afternoon with 15-year-old Farhad Jabar, a fellow Arthur Phillip High School student who he had befriended in recent weeks.

Police will allege Mr Alou spent more than two hours with Jabar at the mosque. In that time, he allegedly handed the gun to Jabar, hours before the quiet year 10 student walked to Parramatta police headquarters and used it to shoot accountant Curtis Cheng in the back of the head.

The case against Mr Alou is largely circumstantial, Fairfax Media has been told. It will include call records, phone location data and surveillance that has mapped Mr Alou’s movements on October 2.

Mr Alou’s communication with Jabar is not believed to go back more than a few weeks and it is largely confined to Parramatta Mosque.

The mosque has been a regular meeting point for a group of young western Sydney extremists, who police allege are a major terror risk.

Fairfax Media previously revealed that police believe the group recruited Jabar to carry out the Parramatta attack because they perceived themselves to be under too much surveillance.

Many of the group were raided during Operation Appleby last year, centred around an alleged plot between Omarjan Azari and Islamic State recruiter Mohammed Ali Baryalei to kill a random Sydneysider.

They are also listed in a control order, granted in the Federal Circuit Court, that bans them from having any contact with terrorism suspect Ahmad Samir Naizmand, a Kellyville man who tried to travel to Syria last year.

The control order, which heavily restricts Naizmand’s movements, states that the n Federal Police believe Alou, Naizmand, Azari and 16 others are part of a “close knit group of men in Sydney who strongly support the ideology and activities of… Islamic State” and “are willing and able to commit a terrorist act”.

Commissioner Andrew Scipione described the arrests on Thursday as a “significant breakthrough” and did not rule out further arrests.

“These charges represent an exhaustive investigation which has not concluded but in many ways, has just commenced,” he said

Mr Alou has been in custody since his family’s Wentworthville unit was raided last Wednesday. The home was also raided as part of Operation Appleby last year and older brother Kawa was detained. However, police considered the brothers to be “peripheral” players at the time.

Fairfax Media understands the brothers have close links to the Alameddine family, whose Merrylands home was raided last week.

The home was also raided in February by police looking for firearms relating to a tip-off about a potentially dangerous disruption at Sydney’s largest court complex.

In 2012, Mr Alameddine was charged after a woman was injured when caught in the crossfire of a gun fight in Old Guildford but the charges were later dropped.

He was the man who helped Milos Dimitrijevic remain fit in his native Serbia while he faced uncertainty over his playing future but on Saturday he will become his enemy. Two Miloses will face-off when Sydney FC travel to Newcastle to face the Jets boasting Serbian striker Milos Trifunovic and the Sky Blues will be wary of him, says Dimitrijevic.

The duo are part of the five Serbian players in the A-League this season continuing the recent trend of players from the Balkan nation moving to . Dimitrijevic was widely regarded as one of the best imports of last season and says his compatriot will be yet another to impress this season. Trifunovic marked his debut for the Jets with a goal in their 2-1 win over Wellington Phoenix on Sunday and will be the player to stop for Sydney, according to their midfielder.

“I know him from Red Star, he’s a very good striker, very good player so we need to be careful of him,” Dimitrijevic said.

The two Miloses are very close friends and it was Dimitrijevic who prompted Trifunovic to explore a move to the A-League. Both trained together to remain fit during the off-season in the European summer after Dimitrijevic parted ways temporarily with Sydney FC. As he decided to return to the harbour city club, he encouraged the tall forward to join him in the A-League. He could be made to regret his decision if the marksman adds a second goal in as many games.

“This pre-season before I came back here we trained together in Serbia,” Dimitrijevic said. “I know him very well, and can’t wait to see him again. We spoke a lot in pre-season, and I told him everything about and about A-League. I think it’s helped him to make his choice and come to Newcastle.”

Sydney’s midfielder started the first game of the season and believes he is in better shape than this time last year.

Having played a full-season last campaign after almost a year away from the game, it took him little time to return to his peak condition this time around. However, it’s not just fitness issues that will determine his selection this season but the added competition provided by young midfielder Brandon O’Neill. The former Perth Glory player was impressive in Sydney’s 1-1 draw with Melbourne City last week and is adding greater competition for starting places.

Alongside Senegalese international Mickael Tavares, Dimitrijevic knows it will be more difficult to cement a place in the starting line-up despite winning three individual honours at the club’s awards night last season.

“After the coach’s decision, I am happy to play with Brandon, also with Mickael. They are both very good players and I think it’s very good for the team to have a strong squad,” Dimitrijevic said. “Now I must play good to keep my spot also. Because there are very good players, new players, young players. Every player has to work hard every time to keep his spot and to play. It’s good for everyone to have this strong squad.”

Dimitrijevic believes the young O’Neill complements his style and allows him to play a more creative and attacking role in the side. Last season, Dimitrijevic started alongside Terry Antonis, of similar style, but is happy to have a more defensive partner.

Rachel Delucia with a photo of her defacto partner, Ricardo Bolvaran,A Brisbane man, who has lived in since he was one year old, has been told his deportation to South America is imminent.

The n Immigration Department wrote to Ricardo Bolvaran, 41, in August while he was an inmate at Brisbane Correctional Centre at Wacol, to inform him his residency visa had been cancelled.

His partner of 24 years, Rachel Delucia, said Bolvaran had been transferred to the Villawood Immigration Detention Centre in Sydney.

Despite being the only home he has ever known, Bolvaran will soon be sent to Chile after he signed deportation documents on Wednesday.

“He was going to go to Christmas Island otherwise,” Ms Delucia said.

“There was really no option because they said he could be sitting there for two to four years and he wasn’t prepared to do that.

“He said, ‘look, I’m not that well and I don’t want to rot in a detention centre’.”

Ms Delucia said she had asked if she could marry Bolvaran in the detention centre, to make it easier for her and her children to visit.

“That way, if I do go to Chile, my visa will be a bit longer than the three months,” she said.

“But whether or not I’ll have the funds to even do that, I don’t know.”

Ms Delucia was booked on a flight to Sydney with the couple’s three children to visit their father next Thursday.

It would likely be the last time the children, aged seven, nine and 19, would see their father before he was deported.

“All Rick wants to do is see his kids,” Ms Delucia said.

Bolvaran’s case has troubled the Queensland Council of Civil Liberties, which last month pointed out Bolvaran was “essentially n” and a product of n society.

Bolvaran was jailed in July on a string of offences, including drug possession, possession of a knife in public and receiving tainted property among other charges.

Bolvaran pleaded guilty to all charges, committed in 2012 and 2013.

He had also been sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment in June 2006, which was central to the Department of Immigration and Border Protection’s decision to revoke his residency visa on character grounds in August.

Masses of flying foxes hang in trees as part of a colony at Burdekin park, Singleton.SINGLETON’S bat problem is not new.

In fact, it has plagued the town for the past 15 years and left residents and the council equally frustrated at the endless bureaucratic hoops in the way of relocating the protected animals.

So when Upper Hunter MP Michael Johnsen raised the issue in NSW Parliament this week and urged the state and federal governments to remove the red tape – saying the bats should be relocated or eradicated – Singleton folk were pleased but understandably reserved about the outcome.

Mr Johnsen said the latest state government policy offered three ways to control the bats, but if a landholder needed to disperse the colony they also had to meet federal government requirements.

“Let them do it without having both hands tied behind their backs,” Mr Johnsen said.

“Take away the barriers to managing the problem and actually empower communities, don’t just talk about it.”

Singleton residents put up with a permanent bat colony and the thousands of bats that return every year to breed in Burdekin park’s trees.

This year they have also had to cope with an influx of 20,000 bats, which the council suspects have relocated from elsewhere.

Mayor of Singleton, Cr John Martin, said it took more than 20 minutes for the colony to fly away from the park to feed every night, and it was a dramatic parade against the sunset until bat droppings fell on people, or their cars.

“We have been trying to do something for 15 years and have approached the state and federal governments and haven’t got anywhere.

“I support what Michael Johnsen is trying to do and we want an outcome, but we have been down this road many times before and achieved nothing.”

The council has already spent more than $180,000 on lights and noises to “scare away” the bats, and been forced to move Anzac Day and other services usually held in the park.

Kristy James’ new single, Friends Like You, comes out Tuesday. Picture: Ryan OslandSUPER heroes are not the only ones with alter egos. Singer songwriters are right up there with them, toiling away by day before assuming the characters they really want to be.

Warners Bay country rock singer Kristy James is one of those hard-working souls, always plotting for the chance to break out and perform. Her fans will get another good look at the star on Tuesday (her 31st birthday) when she releases a new single, Friends Like You and an accompanying video clip.

James will be performing on Wednesday, October 21, at Lizotte’s in Newcastle and headlining at the Ariah Park B & S Ball in the Riverina on October 31. And she’s on the line-up for Country at the Camp, November 28, at Drovers Camp, Elderslie Road, Branxton.

The new song was written by three established American songwriters – Jim Pollock, Terry B Smith and Anne E De Chant.

“It’s about a girl’s best friend cheating with her husband,” James says. “It’s right down my alley [musically]. It’s a good story.

James, who is a talented guitar player as well as singer, sticks to a formula that works for her. She writes quite a bit of music, but isn’t afraid to pick up songs from others to record.

She married fellow musician (and top guitarist Luke Davis) last year.

She’s selective in her performance style – no dresses, no high heels – placing great value on perceptions. It works, as evidenced by her the video clips from her last EP, Nobody’s Gonna Make Me and Overdrive.

Nobody’s Gonna Make Me reached No 34 on the CMC Top 50 and had correspondingly good sales figures on iTunes.

James has discovered she has fans in the US, Greece, even Denmark, as social media channels have allowed her to be heard around the world – without a major marketing spend.

The new single is part of a strategy that will see James release two more singles in the first half of 2016 followed by an album.

It’s a hard road to success for independent musicians, but James has been in the game since she was a youngster and has never wavered from her passion.

“If I can make people listen, 99 per cent of the time I know they’ll be supportive,” she says. “You don’t have many chances to make people listen if you bring out crap.”

James makes a living as a music tutor and playing covers on weekends throughout the Hunter, in addition to being a full-time mum with two children.

“It’s a big decision to go on with my career,” she says. “Every dollar spent on my career is a dollar less for the kids. And the kids don’t see much as much as they would like.”

Working as a tutor keeps her firmly anchored to the music industry, teaching kids to play and sing every day.

“Everyone wants to learn,” she says. “But it’s not an easy road. It’s not as easy as saying ‘I want to be famous.’ “

James doesn’t try to make her students sing like her. Rather, she encourages them to be individuals, to develop their own style.

As James’ builds her fan base, she plans to spend a few days at the Tamworth country music festival in 2016, and tour the east coast for six weeks after the release of her next single in March next year.

She works her Facebook page and Instagram account (KristyJamesMusic) hard and isn’t afraid to spoil her fans with early releases and special offers.

Radio rant: Greg Martin during his playing days for the Wallabies.RWC Schedule: When is the Rugby World Cup final?Rugby World Cup interactive: your guide to every teamFull coverage of the 2015 Rugby World Cup

A war of words has erupted between departing former Wallaby James O’Connor and commentator Greg Martin after the former’s release from the Queensland Reds this week.

O’Connor accused Martin of betraying the “sacredness and brotherhood” of the Wallabies after the player-turned-broadcaster labelled him an “immature twat” on commercial radio.

The 44-Test outside back, who spent one season at the Reds but failed to break back into Michael Cheika’s World Cup line-up, cited personal reasons for his decision to leave the Super Rugby outfit this week.

He accused Martin of questioning his character with limited insight into his personal circumstances and appeared to compare the situation to the media’s treatment of AFL star Buddy Franklin, who called time on his season citing mental health issues.

“Greg did not say these comments while I was present, he offered me no chance to respond and frankly from the position I stand he does not care,” O’Connor wrote in the statement posted on Facebook on Thursday night.

“He has no interest in the truth; he has no interest in finding the real story. Greg’s interest is his own opinion and making his own headlines, with no consideration to whom he drags through the mud.”

Martin has been an outspoken critic of O’Connor’s throughout a controversy plagued career, which saw the Queenslander’s ARU contract torn up before a move to Europe in 2013.

After the Reds’ announced O’Connor’s departure this week, Martin took to the airwaves with a stinging attack on the player’s shortlived return to n rugby.

“This could be the greatest waste of n rugby talent,” Martin said.

“He’s played 44 Tests for at the age of 25, [but] hasn’t played in the last few years because of his bad attitude.

“A guy that just hasn’t matured.”

The comments incensed O’Connor, who wrote: “I am the first to recognise that my previous behaviour was not one of an upstanding individual, but like all people I wish to learn from my mistakes and look to improve upon myself. Greg’s comment on ‘everyone else growing up, except for James O’Connor’ implies that I have no recognition of the consequences of my previous actions.

“I find it ironic that the man accusing me of being immature then preceded to call me an ‘immature twat’, and ‘a little punk’ on live radio. A childish insult at best, from a 50 year old father.”

O’Connor also accused Martin of trying to sabotage the Wallabies’ World Cup campaign.

“Greg likes to talk about the sacredness and brotherhood behind playing for the Wallabies,” he wrote.

“However he does not hesitate to insult those exact players that pull on that jersey. After playing just over a handful of caps, he’s pulled on the Wallaby jersey enough times to know how devastating it could be to have fellow countrymen alienate you in the media.”

Martin has ruffled feathers in the past with a take-no-prisoners approach to commentary around the game in .

He drew the ire of the Ewen McKenzie-coached Wallabies last year after declaring No.8 Wycliff Palu had “dogged it” against the All Blacks in Auckland.

This time it was Martin’s commentary during the Wallabies’ pool match against Uruguay that landed him in hot water and appears to have sparked the feud.

In a video message on Twitter, O’Connor defended the performance of No.10 Quade Cooper and ridiculed Martin’s own playing record, showing a clip of the former centre’s role in the try that cost the Wallabies the 1989 British and Irish Lions series. Hey guys something I’d like to share with you. https://t上海龙凤论坛/R6aqiulJM7— James O’Connor (@JamesOConnor832) October 15, 2015

The good news for Queensland’s cricket team is Mitchell Starc is being rested from the NSW attack for Friday’s one-day match at Drummoyne Oval, the bad news is that he has been replaced by Josh Hazlewood.

Hazlewood, who was rested during the first four games of the Matador Cup by Cricket after his massive workload – he bowled during 50 of the 52 weeks that coincided with the end of the Ashes series – conceded he has big shoes to fill.

Starc has taken 19 wickets for the Blues at an average of six and in the process he’s enhanced his reputation as the world’s best white-ball bowler.

“The NSW boys are expecting 5-30 from me and [Queensland] might be happy that I’m playing and not Mitchell,” said Hazlewood. “It’s been good to watch how well the Blues have been bowling and you can’t help but to feel good about the line-up we have.

“It’s been great seeing everyone play their role and I just want to fit in at Drummoyne and do my thing and let the rest take care of itself.”

While the Blues’ bowling attack has spearheaded the state’s undefeated start to the tournament, Hazlewood didn’t expect the decision to rest Starc, who has been battling spurs in his ankle, to have much impact on the way the bowlers perform. “When you look at the attack you’ll see I’ve bowled with these guys a fair bit for NSW and ,” he said.

“We know each other’s roles and what we’re trying to do – I’ve played a fair bit with Sean Abbott, Guridner Sandhu and our two spinners, Nathan Lyon and Stephen O’Keefe, so hopefully I’ll fit into my role seamlessly. Sometimes you feel as though you’ve been interrupted when you come back from a rest because your body needs to get used to bowling day in, day out and getting used to the rigours of cricket.

“But I feel really good for the break, I feel a lot stronger and recovered for the time off.”

Queensland coach Phil Jaques said he’d told his players the opportunity to take on someone of Hazlewood’s calibre was a rare chance to test themselves. “He’s a really good player, he’s played a lot of international cricket and he’s fresh and ready to go,” he said.

Jaques expected Queensland’s Joe Burns, who was selected for the doomed tour of Bangladesh, to make his time at Drummoyne count. “Joe probably hasn’t made the runs he would have liked in the last couple of games but he is a terrific player, he’s already had a taste of n level and I’m sure he’s hungry to test himself against a strong NSW side,” he said.

IT’S not me it’s them, say many people about the overuse of antibiotics.

And many mistakenly believe that the body becomes resistant to antibiotics rather than the bacteria becoming resistant to the antibiotics.

That’s part of the findings of Bond University research published in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy.

It reviewed 54 studies involving 55,225 people and showed about 70 per cent had heard of antibiotic resistance, but most didn’t understand it.

“Any time an antibiotic is used the individual’s risk of developing resistance increases,” Gold Coast university’s Dr Amanda McCullough said.

“This resistance can spread to family and other members of the community, creating a pool of resistant bacteria.

“These resistant bacteria become problematic when an infection occurs and antibiotics that would have treated the infection are no longer effective.”

The study found 88 per cent of participants mistakenly believed the body becomes resistant to the antibiotic, but more than 70 per cent knew using too many or unnecessary antibiotics caused the resistance.

“The main problem is patients did not think that they used too many or that their antibiotic use was unnecessary, in fact, they typically thought other people were the main issue.”

The same applied to health professionals, with studies showing 98 per cent thought it was a serious problem, but less than 70 per cent thought it was a problem for their practice.

“Many people also tend to believe that they need something when they are sick and doctors may feel pressured to meet their patients expectations of treatment. The facts are that antibiotics offer little or no benefit for the treatment of some common illnesses like colds, coughs and sore throats.” AAP

What police and intelligence officials have been saying for months might now become a reality.

They can’t watch everyone all the time. Neither their resources nor ns’ expectations of basic liberties will allow that. So instead they need the Muslim community to be their eyes and ears when it comes to spotting extremism.

That starts with parents and families but it extends to teachers, friends and community leaders.

This was grasped in theory by the Abbott government but never really applied. For every mention of respect for Muslims, there was an equal and opposite dose of combative rhetoric, which tainted the waves of new national security laws as anti-Muslim and created a gulf between the community and the government.

Thursday’s meeting focussed heavily on how to avoid the law enforcement route and look at softer, earlier intervention, which means having trusted avenues the Muslim community can use to get help with loved ones they’re concerned about.

So how does that happen?

At the moment, the main pathway is to pick up the phone and call the national security hotline – hardly a comforting idea for a worried parent. That was how one recent alleged plot came to authorities’ attention but that won’t happen every time, especially when problems arise among newer communities whose relationship with authorities is distant.

There will be all sorts of recommendations about different pathways – new phone hotlines, new websites, new apps, outreach programs through schools.

But counter-terrorism czar Greg Moriarty got to the heart of the issue on Thursday afternoon by saying that worried community members need to be able to reach out to “people they can trust”.

Trust is the key. If that bridge can be built, Thursday’s talkfest will have been an immensely useful exercise.

The results, if translated into action when they go to Malcolm Turnbull and state leaders late next month, could do more to keep ns safe than endless waves of new national security laws.

Tristan Carlyle-Watson, who was allegedly in the room when a group of men raped a teenage girl. Photo: FacebookA week ago Tristan Carlyle-Watson fronted his father and revealed he was likely to be charged following the gang-rape of a teenage girl.

“He was worried when he told me, of course he was,” his father, James, told Fairfax Media on Thursday.

Mr Carlyle-Watson was allegedly one of up to eight men inside a room at a house party in Sydney’s west in May when a teenage girl was pack-raped and filmed.

The “deplorable” ordeal was captured on a 16-minute video, recorded on a GoPro camera.

Police investigating graffiti offences came across the camera by chance and handed it over to the Child Abuse Squad.

On Wednesday, five males, including a 17-year-old, were charged over the sexual assault at a party in St Clair months ago.

Police allege a number of men in the room on the night of May 22 took turns in having sex with the teenage girl, who lost consciousness.

Fairfax Media understands police are looking at the possibility the alleged victim had her drink spiked before the assault.

It is also understood the girl only knew at least one of the men involved in her alleged assault.

Mr Carlyle-Watson, 25, who is charged with concealing a serious indictable offence, applied for bail in Penrith Local Court on Thursday.

The court heard Mr Carlyle-Watson encouraged his other co-accused to engage in the “deplorable” conduct.

“At no stage did he try and help the victim, who was unconscious,” prosecutor Varinder Pawar said.

The other co-accused actually laughed at the alleged victim, Mr Pawar said.

He said the girl sent a text message to Mr Carlyle-Watson after the assault and asked what had happened.

She asked for her property back and sent messages asking “what happened last night” and “who is this Kurt person”, the court heard.

Mr Carlyle-Watson allegedly told her “nothing happened” and that he didn’t want any more communication with her.

Mr Vawar said there was a distinct possibility there was further evidence that may have been disposed of or could be disposed of.

However Mr Carlyle-Watson’s lawyer submitted that was only speculation and his client was not the principal offender.

Magistrate Mark Douglass said Mr Carlyle-Watson’s previous convictions for stalk and intimidate and use a carriage service to harass did not assist him.

They also supported the prosecution’s fear that he could interfere with the witnesses and the alleged victim if on bail, Mr Douglass said.

Mr Carlyle-Watson, who appeared via video link, shook his head as bail was refused.

His father first heard of his son’s arrest after one of his friends called him on Wednesday.

He said his son, who hasn’t been charged with sexually assaulting the girl, wasn’t involved in the actual act.

“My son doesn’t want to do that,” he said.

“He has girlfriends all over the place. The way he gets on with girls … why would he want to go waste his time and do that?”

He said his son and some of the others charged over the assault were friends who had grown up together.

Some of the men are married and another is engaged, it is understood.

Andrew Waters, 23, and Kurt Stevenson, 25, also had their cases mentioned in Penrith Local Court on Thursday.

Mr Waters and Mr Stevenson, who have been charged with aggravated sexual assault, did not apply for bail and the cases were adjourned to December 10.

Ayden Devereux, 24, who has been charged with aggravated sexual assault and filming a person in a private act without consent, will also stay behind bars after making no application for bail.

A 17-year-old boy, charged with indecent and sexual assault offences, appeared in Parramatta Children’s Court and did not apply for bail.

National Sexual Assault, Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service 1800 RESPECT